Saturday, May 8, 2010

The Past Is Present



     It was an interesting comment actually.  "So this is what you're doing now?"   I wasn't really sure what she meant.  "Now" as in "not what you were doing before", "now" as in "wow, I love where your work is going" or "now" as in "you're not doing jewelry anymore?"  A hint of disapproval, I'm not sure.  More likely a misunderstanding that an artist doesn't work in a particular medium now, an artist works in that particular medium always.  It's the message that's being shared that determines how an artist shares it.  But the medium, the skills, the talent, the respect for the process, is always there inside, at the ready, for whenever the artist chooses to bring it forward.
     At least that's my perspective, and I probably enjoy that point of view because I work in several media, sometimes individually, sometimes collectively, but always based on what I'm trying to say.  My sketch book is filled with message after message after message, each conveyed according to how I want, or perhaps need, to express it.  And sometimes, it's with materials I have no idea how to work with or of a scale I can't even fathom how to bring to life.  But they're all there, page after page, waiting to be created and developed into final form.
     Her comment did make me take pause though, and inventory.  My jewelry came out of a time when I had nothing more than a small table to work on, dictated by the amount of space available to work in.  A time when I yearned to work larger and with more color, and I knew my heart was pulling me in that direction, but I couldn't go there yet, for a variety of reasons.  And so jewelry and I became great friends as I created one-of-a-kind pieces, with an urban rustic feel, organic and precise all at the same time.  And not a minute of it was wasted, nor has any of it been left in the past.  The problem-solving, the exploration of components, textures and patinas, the level of precision I chose for my work,  the transformation that occurred from metal clay to finished piece - it's all still "now".  Still within me and ready at an inspired moment's notice to come forward and be part of any given piece of work, should the message dictate.  
     It was wonderful to intentionally review all the photographs and remember what was going on in my life at the time and how it influenced the final result.   Quite like reading a journal in my own language.  So, in keeping with the intent of this blog, I thought I'd share some of my favorite pieces.   They are after all, part of my journey, treasures and communicators in their own right.  


[Group shot.  Larger images follow.]





     

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